1. Technical Field
This disclosure relates generally to managing interactive communication campaigns over a computer network, such as the Internet.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is known to provide a web-based hosted solution through which business entities create and manage interactive or notification communications campaigns. An example of an interactive communications campaign is a telephone campaign to determine whether a target recipient desires to transfer a credit card balance to a new account, a campaign to remind a recipient that a credit card payment is due and to offer the recipient an opportunity to speak with a customer representative concerning any payment issues, or the like. Examples could also include communications via email message, SMS message, or web page, or some combination. The hosted solution typically is implemented as an application (or “managed”) service provider. One or more business entities (“clients”) that desire to use the service typically register and access the service through an on-line (e.g., web-based) portal. In one representative use scenario, the managed service provider entity provides outbound telemarketing services on behalf of participating clients. The campaign typically is provisioned by the client. Thus, for example, using a web-based interface, a participating client defines a script for the campaign, imports a set of contacts (typically, the client's actual customers), and defines one or more parameters that govern how the campaign is to be run. At a designated time, the service provider initiates the campaign, e.g., by providing the contacts to a set of telephone servers that set-up and manage the telephone calls (or SMS, or emails, as the case may be) to the targets of the campaign. During a given outbound call, as noted above, a recipient (a “customer”) may be afforded an option to connect to a contact center, e.g., to speak to a customer representative. In such implementations, the hosted solution typically is integrated directly with the contact center's on-premises or cloud-based automatic call distributor (ACD).
As mentioned above, one common use scenario for a platform as described above is to provide for a scalable (e.g. cloud-based) solution that enables companies to maximize contacts and payments, while minimizing risks and costs. To this end, the platform may be used to enable payment reminders, self-service payments, expedited payments, cross-channel collections, and the like. While the platform provides significant advantages in this regard, exposure to compliance risk is at an all-time high. Contact centers are operating in an uncertain and tightening national and local regulatory environment, increasing the cost and complexity of doing business. At the same time, consumers are filing lawsuits at a record pace, many times resulting in organizations paying hefty fines.
A well-implemented hosted solution such as described above can help contact centers mitigate risk by providing tools and mechanisms that facilitate compliance while mitigating risks. For example, one known solution, Genesys® Engage™ (formerly Soundbite® Compliance Suite for Contact Centers), prevents prohibited numbers from being contacted, ensures agents adhere to regulatory or other requirements, controls contact frequency, keeps-up with consumer mobility and phone portability, and enables effective management of consumer consent. While a solution of this type provides significant advantages, compliance requirements, such as FDCPA, TCPA, FCRA, PCI DSS, GLBA, HIPAA, EDPD, UK Data Protection Act, among others, are complex, broad-reaching and ever-changing. A platform that provides a comprehensive compliance solution must help customers (potentially operating across a variety of industries) to manage compliance and adapt their strategies as new demands are imposed from regulatory agencies (e.g., the FCC, FTC CFPB, CRTC and others) at all government (Federal, State, and international) levels.